Hey there, so in 2014 I decided to get a new scope and after lots of research, including a post on HBC, I decided on the Vortex Diamondback HP 4x16x42.
The scope worked great in good to poor conditions but then in November I was hunting in Region 2 in heavy fog and rain and the scope was completely useless, I couldn't see a thing, like a piece of wax paper covering the lens. One decent blacktail not in my freezer and lots of frustration. So Vortex sent me a new scope which was great but now the cost of a box of shells and a day at the range. The new scope worked great until this past fall when the exact thing happened, this time in Region 8 hunting whitetails, another buck not down and more frustration. Sent it in and they repaired it this time. Another box of shells and a day at the range to sight it in. This past May long weekend in Hope in the rain and it fogged up again. So now my $500 scope is close to $800 with hours of frustration and meat not in my freezer. So another phone call and long e-mail along with some pics from a recent alpine hunt to let them know how serious I am about hunting hoping they'd send me a better scope to make up for all my troubles and extra expense. Instead they offered to send me a better scope but have me pay the difference in cost. Completely unacceptable. I would like to say how apologetic and courteous everyone I dealt with at Vortex were throughout this but it doesn't make up for my negative experiences with their product. When I told my tale to a very knowledgeable younger lady at the big store in Abby she smiled knowingly and said, " There's a reason why so many people are familiar with the Voretx warranty, it's because so many people are using it. " I recently picked up a Leupold VX 3i 4.5x14x50 from International and couldn't be happier. Wow what a difference. I know lots of people have Vortex glass and are really happy with it so I don't want to sound like I'm bashing them, I just thought I'd tell my story. Stay safe and straight shootn' this year.